


Red

by Isabite



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Keith's birthday 2017, M/M, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 18:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12463278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isabite/pseuds/Isabite
Summary: Keith's never been great at receiving presents or celebrating his birthday. The Team decides to get creative.Happy Birthday Keith!





	Red

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Keith~

Keith woke up to the familiar blue and white lights of the Castle of Lions. It had been months since he’s slept in his old bed. Months since he’s seen all his friends in person rather than the other side of a screen. Despite the castle feeling cold, it was warming to be back where he considered home was. He had also missed wearing his old clothes instead of his Blade of Marmora suit. He loved the feel of the familiar old worn out jeans and t-shirt. He also missed the bright red and white of his favorite jacket and boots but something was missing.

 “Where are my gloves?” Keith looked throughout his old room but just couldn’t find them. He searched again and still couldn’t find them. Keith nervously wringed his naked hands together. He’s wore those gloves everyday ever since he got them.

* * *

 

 

_“Garret! Kogane is half your size and he’s kicking your ass!” Officer Rox shouted. She then proceeded to shake her head down in shame when Keith knocked Hunk to the ground. “Good work, Kogane. Can anyone tell me what Garret should have done to gain an upper hand against his opponent?” Keith tuned out as the other Cadets began listing off strategies. He perked up when he saw a familiar face up above in the officer’s observation deck. Shiro gave him a smile and an all too familiar gesture. **Pay attention**. Keith rolled his eyes but tuned back in to catch Rox’s final thoughts. _

_“Remember, as proved today, size and strength does not dictate in battle. Whoever is the more experienced fighter will always win.” Keith kept his gaze forward when he felt gazes shot his way. “Dismissed.” Keith was about to go meet with Shiro when Officer Rox called him back. “Kogane! Expect to be moved up to a different combat class. You’ve got nothing more to learn here.”_

_“Yes, ma’am.” Keith saluted.  Rox nodded at him and left without another word._

_“Advance combat class, huh? About time.” Keith’s stance relaxed when Shiro walked up to him. “With Commander King’s help you just might able to beat me in sparring.” Shiro gave him a challenging smirk. Keith crossed his arms and huffed._

_“Please, I almost beat you last time. By the end of the semester you’ll be the one on that mat.” He said gesturing over to their usual sparring spot. Shiro laughed and smiled softly at him._

_“We’ll see.” Keith gave Shiro a questioning look when he pulled out a small box wrapped in red paper. “King’s class is pretty heavy on hand to hand so you’ll probably need these.” Shiro said as he handed Keith the box._

_“S-shiro.” Keith held the box with shaky hands. No one has ever given him a present before. He never wanted anyone to. “I can’t…I don’t deserve—“_

_“Keith,” Shiro placed his large hands over Keith’s smaller hands holding the red box. “You deserve a lot more than what’s been given to you. I wish I could give you more but this was all I could manage on short notice.” Noticing Keith’s still hesitating expression he tightened his grip. “Open it, for me?” And how could Keith refuse such a simple request? Slowly and carefully Keith unwrapped the box and pulled off the lid. Inside lied a pair of simple black leather fingerless gloves._

_“I was going to get them in red since it’s your favorite color but that would have been against dress code regulations.” Keith’s lip twitched up at that. “I hope you like them and that they fit.” Keith was pretty nervous but when Shiro said his last sentence with a shaky voice Keith realized that Shiro was nervous too. He pulled the gloves out of the box and tugged them on._

_“Perfect fit.” And seeing Shiro’s face lit up was well worth it even though he didn’t like receiving gifts._

_“Happy birthday, Keith.”_

 

Keith smiled bitter sweetly at the memory. It was the best birthday he ever had, but now the gift Shio had given him were gone. He left them behind at the castle for safe keeping but it turned out that was a bad idea. The gloves were worn down and flaking from years of use but they still meant the world to him. Sighing sadly, Keith clenched his naked hands and left the room.

* * *

 

 

Keith _was_ going to go to the bridge to meet up with Kolivan and Allura but the smell radiating from the kitchen was making his mouth water. _Maybe just a quick detour_? Keith turned back around to go to the kitchen and not surprisingly Hunk was in the kitchen. Coran was with him as well. _Probably telling him what was safe to eat and what was poisonous to humans_. They both looked up and smiled at him when they heard Keith enter the room.

 

“Keith! Welcome back!”

 

“Yeah, man. It feels like forever ago since we saw you.” Coran and Hunk both greeted him when he walked in. Keith was really glad to see them again. Hunk’s cooking was the best he’s ever had and Coran’s silly stature was a relief compared to the constant serious nature of the Blades.

 

“Hey, guys. What are you cooking?” Keith tried to be subtle in looking at what the two were making but he probably wasn’t as sneaky as he thought he was. Coran actually pulled him away from the counter to prevent him from seeing anything.

 

“Hold on just a tick number four. You’re going to have to wait until it’s ready. No peeking!” Keith pulled away when Coran attempted to cover his eyes.

 

“Yeah, sorry. It’s a surprise for later.” Hunk gave him an apologetic smile.

 

“Oh, Okay… I guess I’ll come back later then.” Keith, in slight disappointment, made his way toward the door.

 

“Wait! I do have something for you though if you’re hungry.” Keith turned back to see Hunk pull out a dish out of the Altean’s version of an oven. “I was actually keeping it warm for you.” There was that delicious smell again. Coming right from the dish Hunk had just set out for him. They smelled just like...  _pancakes_.

 

“You made this for me?” They both nodded. Keith gave a small smile, one they didn’t get to see very often, especially now days. “T-Thanks guys…” Coran gave him a gently pat on the shoulder.

 

“Don’t thank us just yet. Hunk tells me these are supposed to taste like your Earth’s pancakes. It’s a wonder how you humans can eat such sugar first thing after you wake up.” Keith laughed.

 

“What better way to start the day than a stack of sugar?” Keith said and Hunk laughed with him. Keith poured Hunks make shift syrup on top of the stack of what looked like burgundy pancakes. He was excited, it had been so damn long since he’s had pancakes. They were his favorite food, always had been.

 

Keith made an embarrassingly loud groan when he took the first bite. “These are so quiznaking good.” He couldn’t help himself when he started to scarf down the large stack. Hunk and Coran shared a fist bump, glad that Keith enjoyed the treat they spent days perfecting just for him.

* * *

 

 

After he finished breakfast, and thanked Hunk and Coran, Keith made his way down the halls to find Kolivan and the other Blades currently on board. Only to get distracted…again.

 

“Keith! My man! Just the guy we were looking for!” Lance came barreling around the corner and pulling Keith away from his way to the bridge and toward the Green Lion’s hanger. “Pidge and I need you to test out this virtual reality game helmet we made!”

 

“You mean that _Pidge_ made.” Lance groaned and pushed him into the hanger.

 

“Fine, she did all the technical work and I came up with the idea. Now _c’mon_.” Lance dragged him all the way into the hanger where the Green Lion and Pidge were.

 

“Keith! I’m glad you’re here, you’re the perfect person to test out this new system!” Pidge shoved a helmet with a tinted visor into his arms as he approached.

 

“Why me? Lance said this was a video game.” Keith asked as he inspected the helmet. Pidge sighed and Lance looked sheepish.

 

“It’s actually a combat simulation in disguise as a video game. We thought it’d be fun to combine the two whenever we just wanted to stray from our usual training regimen with the gladiator.”

 

“Yeah, man. I get that the Gladiator is good for training but I want something that won’t hit me in the head with that stupid bo staff every thirty ticks.” Lance said pouty with his arms crossed.

 

“It’s a good idea. Especially for Lance who can’t afford to lose any more brain cells.” Keith smirked when Lance started stammering. Pidge was snickering as she pulled the program up on her computer.

 

“Alright, I think for the most part it’s ready to go. This is our first official test so the program may still be buggy. Whenever you’re ready you can start.” Keith shrugged and slid the helmet on.

 

“Yeaaaaah, you might want to back up and give yourself some room to move around.” Lance said as he helped guide Keith toward more open space. “Try not to get too carried away. It’s just a game no matter how real it might look.”

 

“Ready, Keith?” Pidge asked.

 

“Start her up.” Sure enough, Lance had a point. Keith felt like he was back on Earth in the middle of a tall field of wheat. It was dark and creepy. Cautiously Keith made his way forward. He heard someone breathing to his left and kicked the oncoming monster. A few more popped out of nowhere when he brought the first one down.

 

“Behind you!” Lance couldn’t keep his mouth shut as he watched the game from Pidge’s screen.

 

“Dude, he’s got this! Besides telling him is cheating.”

 

“I can’t help it! It’s scary to watch!” He ignored Pidge’s and Lance’s conversation and continued to fight, punching and dodging upcoming attacks made by the simulator. He could feel his adrenaline going as he made his way through the field, waiting for something to come out at him.

 

 “Woah!” Suddenly there was a blood red ghoul right screaming right in his face. He jumped and swung but the screen turned black with a Game Over screen. Keith didn’t move for a few ticks before he started laughing. Keith slid the helmet off still laughing and a little sweaty from the small work out. “Haha, that was great! Can I go again?” Pidge and Lance eagerly nodded.

 

“We could try out two player mode!” Pidge said excitedly and pulled out another helmet.

 

“Let’s do it!”

* * *

 

 

Keith sat back in the observation deck getting in a quick moment of rest before he went to train with members of the blade. After a few rounds playing Pidge’s combat simulation and bickering with Lance it was nice to just sit in silence in the presence of the stars. Today had been the best day he’s had in so long. It was nice to just hang out with the team. With his family. He sat alone for a while before someone else entered the room and sat next to him.

 

“It’s nice to have you back on board, Keith. Voltron just isn’t the same without you.” Allura greeted him with a gentle and kind smile. Keith gave back his own small smile.

 

“Hey, Allura. How’ve been things going with Blue?” Keith was still impressed by how fast Allura was able to bond and learn to work with the Blue Lion. Clearly team Voltron was doing just fine without him.

 

“Everything’s been going splendidly, but Keith. Just know that while you may not be piloting a Lion, you are still a part of this team, this _family_. You are and will always be the Red Paladin. It’s who you are.” Allura must have picked up on his thoughts. She did have a knack for reading other people. She rested her hand over his and gave an encouraging squeeze. “The Blades are lucky to have you working at their side.” Keith looked away, mostly to hide the fact that he felt like he wanted to cry at her words. They were words he didn’t even realize he needed to hear.

 

“Thank you, Allura.” Keith subtly cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. “I have missed you guys. I wished Kolivan would let me check in more often.” Allura perked up his words.

 

“Actually, I might have a solution to that.” Keith looked at her curious as she removed something from the inside of her dress wrap. In her hands, she held a ruby pin in a shape similar to the ‘v’ on their paladin armor. “This is for you.” With gentle fingers, Allura pinned the gift to the collar of his red and white jacket. “It’s a communication device just like these.” She said as she gestured to her earrings. “It connects straight anyone or all of us through our helmets and the bridge of the castle. Anytime you’d like to contact us you can.”

 

“Allura…” Keith didn’t even have words to describe how grateful he was for this gift. Being separated from the first family he’s ever known has been hard, but with this is just might be a little easier. “Thank you, so much.” Allura smiled and gave him a short hug.

 

“You’re very welcome.”

* * *

 

 

An hour later Keith had found Paytrx and a couple of other Blade members at the training deck.

 

Kick. Dodge. Swing. Uppercut. Look for an opening. There! He went for his opening but it was a rouse. Roll out of the way! Attack low, you’re enemy has a stance with low balance. Wait and look. His breaths were heavy, having been fighting for a few hours now. Carefully he searched his surroundings. Patience yields focus. Wait for them to make the first move. He and his opponent were carefully circling each other, waiting for the other to strike. Finally, his opponent made his move. He slid under his opponent as they came from up high and knocked their legs, forcing his target to fall to the ground giving him the upper hand to pin him down.

 

“Yield?” Keith asked, panting hard. Paytrx scoffed but nodded. Keith let Paytrx go and then proceeded to help them up. Keith was slightly startled when he heard clapping coming from the entrance of the training room.

 

“You’ve really stepped up you game, Keith.” Shiro said with a proud smile on his face. Keith smiled, glad to see Shiro in person in what felt like years. Paytrx nodded at the other Blades they all left to let the two of them talk.

 

“I could easily kick your ass now, Shirogane.” Keith said playfully while raising his fists and crouching in fighting position. Shiro laughed and got into position as well.

 

“Show me what you’ve got, _cadet_.”

 

At first, they were just dancing around each other. Taking a few playful jabs every once and a while before Keith made the first official move. Keith’s issue back at the Garrison was that he didn’t know how to balance out all his skills. He had relied more on speed and instincts versus looking for weaknesses and thinking things through. It was one of the many skills that Shiro had tried to teach him and one of the few lessons that he never truly learned. Until now.

 

“Do you yield?” Keith asked haughtily as he pinned Shiro down to the ground with his right arm twisted behind his back. Shiro sighed and yielded.

 

“I knew the day would come where you would surpass me. Good work young padawan.” Keith rolled his eyes and helped Shiro up.

 

“Shiro, it was bad enough you made me watch all the movies. Why do you feel the need to still torture me?” Shiro laughed and Keith couldn’t help but join him. They stood there for a few moments in comfortable silence to get their breath back. Keith rubbed at his sore knuckles. He didn’t ever realize how much the gloves protected his hands.

 

“You okay?” Shiro asked, noticing his abused knuckles.

 

“Yeah they’re just a little bruised…” Keith grimaced in minor pain. Shiro walked up and grabbed his bruised hands, gently rubbing his thumbs over sore knuckles. Keith’s breath caught and he tried not to make such a big deal out of the sweet gesture but that was near impossible with the way Shiro was looking at him.

 

“Wait here, okay?” Shiro pulled away and was out the door. Keith was left standing there with slight whiplash from the sudden movement. His heart was racing a bit and it wasn’t from the sparring. Keith had managed to calm himself down by the time Shiro came back in holding a familiar looking box wrapped in red paper.

 

“I hope you like it.” Was all Shiro said as he handed Keith the small box. Keith shook his head but was smiling as he opened the box, already knowing what lied inside. There they were. The gloves he loved so much looked good as new. The fabric felt thicker, tougher, and more alien. “I had the most durable fabric in the universe infused with the old leather that was starting to fall apart and I also added this.” Shiro grabbed one of the gloves and slid it onto Keith’s left hand. He turned Keith’s hand over so his palm was facing toward the ceiling and then he saw it. His name embroidered in scarlet letters on the inner wrist of the black gloves. Keith looked up to see that same nervous look Shiro had given him the first time he had given Keith a present. Keith flipped his hand back over to lie on top Shiro’s and shyly lace their fingers together.

 

“I love them. Thank you, Shiro.”

* * *

 

“Where are we going?” Keith asked as he was dragged to the lower parts of the castle by Shiro’s hand.

 

“Just trust me.” Was Shiro’s only response. Keith couldn’t really protest after that. A few flights down had lead them to a grand door that went all the way to the ceiling. Shiro gave him one last smile before opening the doors.

 

“Surprise!” All the team had yelled when they entered the grand room.

 

“Happy birthday, Keith!”

 

“Happy birthday, mullet head!”

 

“Happy birthday, man!”

 

“Happy Birthday, number four!”

 

“Happy Birthday!”

 

It was a party. For him. All his friends were there circled around a white and red cake. _That must have been what Hunk and Coran were making earlier_. Keith thought to himself. It was his birthday. He hadn’t even realized. Keith was knocked out his thoughts when a gentle push from Shiro had him stumbling forward. Keith looked up at his friends’ hopeful faces and felt at ease.

 

“Thanks, everyone.” His sentence came off way shyer than meant to but his friends still smiled and pulled him in closer to sing happy birthday around the well-made cake. They all laughed and had a good time. Even pulling out the Nunvill for the special occasion and Keith felt like his face was going to split with how wide he was smiling. They had fun for hours before the need for sleep dwindled down their numbers until it was just Keith and Shiro looking out the large window. Keith was looking out at the stars with his arms crossed on his chest when Shiro walked up behind him to wrap his arms right under his own. Shiro’s metal hand intertwined perfectly with Keith’s newly gloved hand. Keith rested his head back onto Shiro’s shoulder and Shiro leaned his head against Keith’s, his lips just by his ear.

 

“Happy birthday, Keith.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about any errors 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! 
> 
> Tumblr: isabite.tumblr.com


End file.
